Seahawks Rookie a “Serious” Dark Horse for Rookie of the Year

Seattle Seahawks rookie first round pick Jadarian Price appears positioned for a feature role to begin the season. With Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL in the playoffs, Price should assume the lion’s share of touches to begin the season. If that scenario occurs as imagined, he should be considered a true dark horse for the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

ESPN’s Ben Solak also provides that perspective:

“Price has a strong path to serious candidacy. The Seahawks split their backfield work between Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III last season, and their plan is likely to slide Price into Walker’s shoes. But Charbonnet tore an ACL in the divisional round of the playoffs , so he’ll be less than eight months removed from the injury when Week 1 hits. That gives Price an opportunity to immediately wrest control as a 15- to 20-plus touch player in the first month. Price was not much of a receiver at Notre Dame, but in [Jeremiyah] Love’s shadow, his three-down potential was fairly untapped. On a Seahawks team that figures to lead many games, he could accumulate second-half touches and put together a highly productive campaign.”

Jadarian Price Has a Clear Road to be Lead Back

Seattle Seahawks Jadarian Price

GettyWhen the Seahawks selected Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick, they made their intentions clear.

After the departure of Walker and the injury to Charbonnet, the Seahawks’ need at running back was clear. They signed Emanuel Wilson earlier this offseason to a one year deal. Mike MacDonald continues to sing the praises of George Holani and Kenny McIntosh as factors within this Seahawks program.

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However, none of those three have a lot of experience as a lead back. Neither does Price, but he has the traits. The dearth of touches in college and his overall efficiency indicate that Price can be successful in a larger role.

At Notre Dame, Price produced 1852 scrimmage yards and 24 total touchdowns on 295 touches in over three seasons of play. That averages to about 6.3 yards per touch, 6 yards per rushing attempt, and 10.8 yards per reception.


Jadarian Price Prospect Profile

Seattle Seahawks Jadarian Price

GettyJadarian Price projects as an excellent running back prospect, despite being somewhat of a reach in the first round.

PFF ranked Price as their 54th overall prospect in the NFL Draft. He received very positive grades throughout college, and showcased his efficiency greatly last season. In 2025, Price earned a 78.6 overall grade, a 79.9 rushing grade, a 81.4 zone grade, and a 69.5 gap grade. He produced an elusiveness rating of 118.6 and 3.92 yards after contact, both ranking in the upper tier of running backs.

PFF said, “Price has the look, strength and explosiveness of an NFL back. His vision and anticipation for space can be hot and cold behind man-blocking concepts between the tackles, but in a zone-blocking scheme, he can be an effective part of a two-man backfield.”

Dane Brugler of the Athletic ranked Price as the second best running back in the draft but graded him as a second round pick. Brugler acknowledges that Price has the traits of a lead back but also notes that he’s unproven with that skillset.

Brugler said, “Price isn’t a proven workhorse, but he has NFL starting-caliber talent, with his natural instincts and contact balance. Ball-security issues and a lack of pass-catching production will be areas he needs to address during the draft process.”

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Price earned a RAS Score of 8.33 after the NFL Combine and the Notre Dame pro day. He has an average height (just above 5’10”) and weight (203-208 lbs) for an NFL back. However, his speed scores were good running a 4.49 40 yard dash, 2.62 20 yard split, and a 1.61 10 yard split. His explosion drills were also decent with a 35” vertical jump and a 10’4” broad jump.

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